How It All Goes Down
Speaking
- The epigraph is Miro and Human talking. There are some wise words about how the fence is arbitrary and stupid, and also a suggestion (not the first one) that the piggies can get over the fence.
- We go to a meeting between Mayor Bosquinho, the Bishop, and the Filhes.
- Bosquinho reveals that Starways can access all their files; she's secretly been monitoring ansible communications to see what files they access.
- It turns out that Starways is copying and zapping all their files now because Jane told on Miro and Ouanca (though Bosquinha doesn't know this), so they have to send their files to Ender's account because Jane makes his files inaccessible by Starways (though they don't know why those files are inaccessible).
- The Bishop doesn't trust Ender, but Bosquinho and the Filhes do, so the Bishop ends up having no choice anyway.
- They start transferring files.
- Bosquinha tells them that Ender is speaking Ribeira's death.
- They all worry that Starways is treating them as rebels, and that they may have to cut off the ansible and go into open rebellion.
- Bosquinha's also figured out that Starways is treating them as rebels because Miro and Ouanda did something with the piggies that they shouldn't have.
- We go to the room for the speaking, and boy is it full—everybody is as excited by Ender as Card is himself, it seems like, and even the Bishop comes.
- The Speaker talks about how Marcao was a good worker in the foundry, and then he talks about how Marcao beat his wife and everyone knew and condemned him for it.
- He says Marcao didn't beat his wife because he was cruel, and he argues that Marcao was cruel because he was denied love.
- Marcao loved Novinha because she spoke up for him during an incident when several boys attacked Marcao and blamed him for the fight, and Ender then explains Marcao's disease and the fact that it rendered him sterile.
- He says that's why Novinha married him: she wanted children but not his. They had both agreed to this when they married.
- Quim screams at Ender for calling his mother a whore, but Novinha doesn't deny the charge, so they all know it is true.
- Ender explains the stuff about Novinha thinking her research killed Pipo and such—this is all mostly info we have already—and then he reveals that it was Libo who fathered Novinha's children. Libo's widow is understandably upset.
- The Bishop is being won over by Ender's speaking.
- Meanwhile, everybody was happy for Novinha to be an adulteress, but less happy about Libo, since they all love him.
- Ender says Marcao was cruel because of love, and that Novinha felt she deserved it.
- Miro is also upset since now he's Ouanda's brother and can't marry her. He thinks about how awesome Ender is to keep himself busy.
- Ender finishes up by reminding everyone that Novinha caused all this pain in order to keep Libo from dying.
- After everyone goes out, Ender thinks about how he caused lots of pain but it will ultimately be for the good of everyone.
- Mayor Bosquinha comes up and tells him that Starways has commandeered his ship; Starways is lowering the boom and plans to evacuate everyone.
- Ender tells Bosquinha not to arrest Ouanda and Miro, and to hold a meeting to let him convince her that they should go into rebellion to make up for the Xenocide.
- Jane pops up to tell Ender not to cut off the ansible connection to Starways or she'll be cut off too; she'll make Starways think the ansible is cut.
- Ender says how much he missed her, but she's silent again.
- Ender goes to Ela and says he needs to know how the Descolada works right away or Miro and Oulanda will be taken away for trial.
- Ela agrees to ask her mother and says she is glad the Speaker told the truth.